Apple Might Use Samsung OLED Panels For Future iPad, Mac Models

Apple plans to use Samsung’s OLED panels for future iPads and MacBooks. Samsung is already the exclusive supplier of OLED screens for the iPhone, according to a new report by Korea’s ETNews.

For users, this can be beneficial if Apple decides to fill the gap with OLED screens for the iPad and Mac. Those devices could then make the switch to OLED faster. This would be Apple’s preference instead of paying a fine.

According to the Korean site The Elec, Samsung has been talking to Apple for some time about delivering OLED screens for the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro and future iPad Pros. The 16-inch model is a new format that has not yet been officially announced. The screen is said to be between 16 and 16.5 inches in size, claims the well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. He expects this larger MacBook to be on the market in 2019, with an “entirely new design”. Incidentally, Kuo did not say anything about the screen technology.

Kuo also expects that two new iPad Pros will go into mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. They, too, could use OLED, but Kuo does not say a word about it. However, Kuo has talked about Mini-LED technology, which will be used for a 10- to 12-inch iPad, which should appear by the end of 2020 or the beginning of 2021. This technology is also included in a 15- to 17-inch MacBook scheduled for the first half of 2021.

The advantage of OLED is the lower energy consumption, improved brightness, sharper colors and faster response time compared to LCD. They are sensitive to wear. On the other hand, they are thinner and lighter, so that the products themselves can also be made thinner and lighter.